In 1990, Kaoru Iwamoto 9p, the former Honinbo Kunwa (1945), sold his go club in Tokyo and donated the proceeds to the Nihon Ki-in, with the intention of starting go centres around the world. In the years that followed, his dreams were realised in Sao Pãulo (Brazil), New York and Seattle (United States) and in Amstelveen (the Netherlands), where foreign offices of the Nihon Ki-in were erected.

In 1992, the European Go Cultural Centre (EGCC) was established in Amstelveen. Its location in a suburb of Amsterdam was strategic, as it was conveniently reachable by go players from all over Europe.
Since its inception, the EGCC has aimed to support go in Europe. Yearly, the centre organises various national go competitions, such as the Dutch Go Championship, as well as international tournaments, like the Amsterdam International Go Tournament. The centre hosts an extensive go library and archive, and functions as a storage place and distribution centre of go material, in the Netherlands and in Europe: yearly, the EGCC provides go sets for big go events like the European Championship and the European Youth Championship.
But perhaps most importantly, the centre also takes on the role of cultural hub for other mindsports and for the large Japanese community in and around Amstelveen. The EGCC hosts daily activities that range from bridge, chess and checkers evenings to courses in the art of ikebana.

This year, the European Go Cultural Centre celebrates its 25th anniversary. Over the course of the past 25 years, tens of thousands of Japanese and mindsport players have used its facilities. To commemorate this milestone, the EGCC would like to invite you for a special go tournament.

In the weekend of 21-22 October, the EGCC organises the 25 Years EGCC Anniversary Go Tournament. The tournament is part of the European Grand Prix and counts as a Bonus Level C event. There are money prizes for the top 6 players, with €750 for the number one. Players with 4 or 5 wins will also be rewarded, with book- and certificate-prizes from Chess and Go shop Het Paard and Guo Juan's Internet Go School.
Registration for the tournament has been open since last week and already 31 participants have registered, of which about half are 5 dan and stronger. That promises an extremely strong field. For this reason, EuroGoTV will broadcast the top 2 boards live on the Kiseido Go Server. Special guests Yamashiro Hiroshi 9p and Artem Kachanovskyi 1p will be present to provide game reviews and simultaneous teaching games on Saturday evening (from 18:30 PM). Artem Kachanovskyi 1p will also compete in the tournament.

Apart from the main tournament, there will be several fun side events on Saturday evening, such as an Indonesian dinner for all participants (included in the participation fee of €25), a Rengo Blitz tournament and a Poker tournament.

Please visit the official tournament page for more information and to register. Click here.
There is also a Facebook event page, with updates about the event and photo impressions of the EGCC. Click here.